#tumblr reblogs

[miyamiwu]

Reblogging is a form of self-expression

I’ve seen a lot of posts about how people aren’t reblogging much art anymore, with the authors encouraging people to reblog coz it helps support artists. But the thing about most of these posts is that they don’t really talk about how the likes-reblog gap isn’t just widening for art posts. It applies to other types of posts as well—be it short or long text posts, some edit you made, photos, etc.

I don’t have that much followers, but some of my posts have reached over 1k notes. (And some rare popular ones have reached 5-6 digits). I write a lot of metas both here and on one of my side blogs. I also make gifs occasionally, and I have lots of original posts in general too.

But in all of my posts, there are always more likes than reblogs, and the gap is often wide.

When I look through some of the blogs in the notes, several of them are empty but with their Likes visible. And if they’re not empty, then all their posts are just their own. No reblogs at all...

Many of those Likes vs Reblogs posts talk about how reblogging helps the original poster but make little to no explanation on how reblogging serves the reblogger. And I guess that’s why the likes-reblogs gap continues to widen. People are framing reblogs as free advertising for the OP when we should be framing reblogs for what it primarily is—a form of self-expression.

When you reblog something, it’s like saying...

You’re so excited about the post that you want others to see it

You agree with the idea/opinion being expressed in the post (opinions, discourse, analysis, etc.)

You care about the things said in the post (like sharing pro-Palestine posts)

You identify with the community being represented in the post (like being part of a certain fandom)

You find the post funny and want to save it (like how you’d save memes to your phone)

You think the post is cute and want to squish it (cat photos, animal videos, kawaii stuff, etc.)

Or you just think the post is going to be a popular one so you’re “investing” early

etc.

You can even expand these ways of expression by adding your own commentary through tags or reblogs. You can’t do that with just liking.

Actually, you don’t even need to have a clear reason for reblogging something. Posts can simply be like stickers or stamps, which you collect to put on your scrapbook (your blog). Years later, you can then go through your archive and look back on how you were before at certain times in your life.

[To those who don’t know: Yes, we have an archive. It’s at username.tumblr.com/archive. You can filter posts by post type and by month/year of posting. Only posts/reblogs show up in the archive. Likes are not included.]

Moreover, reblogging is how you gain friends. Mutuals, after all, are two people who follow each other, and well, for someone to follow you, you must have something on your blog that they’d want to see more of. If you only like posts, then what’s there to see?

Original posts are nice, of course, but when I see a blog where all posts are just their own, I’m immediately given the impression that it’s being run by a brand. And it may be that the blog really is trying to maintain its Brand image—such is the case for side blogs dedicated to a certain topic (like poll tournaments or art-only blogs). But even then, people will expect you to have a Main blog or another side blog where you do reblog stuff.

It’s kind of how we know you’re human. And it’s also how we know that you’re open to actually engaging with others on this site.

A blog that’s empty or contains nothing but their own posts sends out the message that you’re not interested in or just don’t care about what other people are saying.

[thegamingcatmom]

Don´t be afraid to show that love, guys.

I´d like to use my recent poll to speak up about something that has been bothering me for a while now. (Seeing how this isn´t my first poll.)

After just half a day, my poll has received 17 votes. That is a lot more interaction than any of my other posts usually get in weeks, and that does make me wonder-

Where´s that love/support for other, non-poll posts?

And I´m not just talking about MY posts. Recently, I´ve seen many people on here whose posts haven´t received a single like/reblog/comment whatsoever. Why is that? I know there are people out there who enjoy that content, who might even secretly follow that creator, eagerly awaiting their next post. This becomes especially clear when looking at tumblr polls. Or just other posts related to that fandom in general.

The interest is there, apparently. So why can´t we show that more often?

I know that polls are somewhat different, they´re more fun to interact with because you get to actively participate in something whilst staying anonymous. I know there are people who prefer to stay backstage, and that´s totally fine. To each their own. BUT-

...I also know how frustrating/demotivating it can be when it seems like nobody gives a f*ck...on the surface. And that´s what´s so frustrating about it.

Don´t get me wrong, I´m not here to point the finger. I´m simply stating that Tumblr is a place for people to come together and enjoy things...together. That´s where Tumblr truly shines.

Tapping a button doesn´t take much effort, but it has a huge impact on the person behind the post - and their future content. Trust me.

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This applies to AO3 as well, by the way. Or just ANY platform where people share the content they’ve worked hard on and spent a lot of time creating.

You enjoy the content someone creates?

Do it.

I don´t care which button, but do.it.

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.

...FUCKING PRESS THE BUTTON ALREADY.

[tarzinnia]

Read, Reblog, Reward

How many pieces of fiction did you read or works of original art did you enjoy this week? Ten? Twenty?

Of those, for how many did you click the 'like' button? And how many did you reblog?

Reblogs are the energy source that fuels the mechanism for content on Tumblr. Are you a guzzler who only consumes but never refuels? Replenish the creative forces on Tumblr by reblogging works that you enjoy and the reward will be that more content reaches more viewers so that others will also appreciate and enjoy what you enjoyed as well as inspire others to create more content. It's a win-win for all.

Be a part of the energy, reblog!

[periprose]

tumblr just introduced a reblog graph. I sure hope this compels people to use the site it was meant to be: reblog people's posts!!

The graph basically shows you how far a post has gone, how much traction it has gained, and this is all through reblogs. So people better learn to use tumblr properly and share people's posts, so we can have better engagement on her. It's literally social media, and I'm very tired of the tiktokification of tumblr where people just leave likes which are just a private bookmark. Tumblr thrives on reblogs and the new graphs prove it, so please: just reblog things that you enjoy.

[anulithots]

OKAY SO HERE'S YOUR LOCAL HYPERFIXATED FUNGAL OVERLORD ENTHUSIST HERE TO TELL @staff HOW IT WORKS SO WELL + I WANT TO RANT AND I DID A WHOLE UNFICTION THING WHERE TUMBLR IS SUPPOSED TO ACT LIKE A MYCELIAL NETWORK AND IT WORKED SO WELL!!! Fungal mycorrhizal systems are made up of thousands upon thousands upon thousands of 'individuals' within a teaspoon of soil, and within that labyrinth of roots different fungi will share nutrients and a sort of 'consciousness' There's debate on whether there are individuals in the system at all.

WHICH BRINGS ME TO REBLOGS:

Reblogs, in @imjusthereforeternity, are where one reblog will use the voice of another and add on its own information, this information is then stored and other fungi will 'borrow' those voices to add on their own ideas. This means that there's not an 'individuality' (like youtube creates the most disconnect between creator and consumer in my experience, tumblr has the least.)

Mycorrhizal fungi are mostly characterized by having a unique symbiotic system with trees. They will share nutrients, pass along messages between trees, and protect the tree that they are attached to. This creates the 'wood wide web'.

(They will give the tree nitrogen and phosphorus (correct me if I'm wrong because I don't want to go and double check), in exchange for the plant's sugars. )

And within these plant systems there's two (three if you count nitrogen fixers but who cares about them /s) types of ways they situate themselves.

Ectomycorrhizal work like cities.

They stretch out this one communal system for long stretches of land, in which they do all this nutrient and message sharing. This type of system typically happens in colder climates where decomposition of dead materials is slower.

(Headcannon that the little circles would be where Hub trees are situated, because that tree would probably exchange the most nutrients and messages, but I'm not sure if that would be scientifically accurate, and I'm nothing if not scientifically accurate/ half joking)

Then there's mycorrhizal (AM)

They are smaller, like little villages, because they exist in warmer climates where they don't need to grow as far. Nutrients decompose fast enough.

Then there's ~discourse~

Tree systems will send poisons to their enemies, fungi will get their tree companions addicted to solely relying on that fungi, it's not all fun and games... we got all the drama you could ever want.

But what of the tags???

Not exactly sure how to fungi-fy the tags.... they disappear once another tacks on their thoughts, and they are quieter, and they can have whatever random nonsense you want them to have.

Perhaps there's something fungi related that acts as markers for what their 'intentions' or 'species affiliations' are? Unsure, I shall do research once the dopamine arrives. (Where art thou dopamine??)

(Anuli calls them 'after whispers', so IDK)

Tagging someone I imagine is 'summoning' them... and to me it's one individual's root touching another individual's root and 'asking' if there can be nutrient sharing (I'm not sure if this is even scientifically accurate anymore.)

OKAY HERE'S STORYFIED SCIENTIFICALLY ACCUARATE STUFF:

Featuring pixies (fungi fairies that are more so mental beings that physical counterparts to a plant body) and Anuli the dryad (dryads have tree and animal-like counterparts. I once tried to figure out if protists could grow alongside plants which would lead to fairies being biologically possible... but I think I lost a few brain cells in that process so we'll go with *it's nature fantasy*)

[projectilecry]

i wish you could sort tumblr reblogs from oldest to newest. please. tumblr. please give us a reverse chron option for reblogs with tags. please. i beg. it’s all i want for christmas.

[jolikmc-thoughts]

I noticed that my thoughts on the "SalC1 Escapes Crystal Trap on 2b2t" video got a hit or two. So, I go to check it out, and…

 

 

[nepeta-cataria-21]

I was having a conversation with one of my friends who is younger than me a few months ago, and I saw she was on Tumblr and I said "Hey! I didn't know you had Tumblr, Let me follow you!", and so she gave me her address.

And then I saw she doesn't have any reblogs on her profile (literally zero), and I was confused for a moment, but then I saw her going thru her feed on her phone, just giving likes to the posts but rebloging none of them.

I was so shocked by that, reblogs are the key mechanism in the Tumblr community to spread content (bc no algorithm), but she was using it like any other social media.

That's why it's so important to spread the importance of rebloging in this site, so new people who get in here learn about it.

[yikesbyebye]

me, myself, myself, myself, and i

[thatdamnokie]

sometimes i see posts rb’d (or i’ll rb them myself) from blogs that have been deactivated for years but like--look! here’s a photo they took! here’s something they wrote! they are not gone! see! i can hear them in the room with me right now

[aoyagi-vbs]

@shinonome-akito-vbs

[tarzinnia]

Why is this man smiling? Because it's Reblog Wednesday! Reblogs are as contagious as a smile for when you enjoy content and reblog it, it spreads across Tumblr so others can join in on the experience. Reblog stories, art, commentary, quotes; there is so much to share and learn!

Go on, reblog! I DARE(devil) you!

*For the new to Tumblr crowd: the reblog button is the loop of arrows adjacent to the heart (likes). Reblogging is the best way to keep Tumblr active and accessible.

[anulithots]

I feel so intelligent for using these for my arg

Like don't they look like pixie root systems?

[inksplit]

[thegamingcatmom]

Hasn´t happened to me yet (at least not that I know of), but I felt the sheer disbelief and pain nonetheless, and I´m really sorry if that´s happened to any of you.

Do NOT repost, ppl. Always, always REBLOG and give credit where credit is due. 👏

Based on actual events